'Hackathons' Aim to Solve Health Care's Ills

Problem-Solving Sessions Popularized by Software Community Take Off in Medicine

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Hackathons, the high-octane, all-night problem-solving sessions popularized by the software-coding community, are making their way into the more traditional world of health care.

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a recent event called Hacking Medicine's Grand Hackfest attracted more than 450 people to work for one weekend on possible solutions to problems involving diabetes, rare diseases, global health and...